“Are you really going to make me work for it?” I grumble.
“First time you’ve ever worked so hard for a girl?”
“Yeah, actually. By this point, your legs would’ve already been up on my shoulders.”
Staten pantomimes a gag. “Keep dreaming, Hot Stuff.”
Oh my God. I think we’re on a nickname basis.
There’s something addicting about this push-and-pull, tantalizing—like picking at a scab even though you’re not supposed to. The truth is, maybe I proposed this whole arrangement at first because I wanted to make Leif jealous, but now I realize that it’s the perfect segue into chiseling away at Staten’s hard outer shell. She sure as shit wouldn’t tell me anything about herself under other circumstances.
Goading her, I turn to face her fully, hoping that she was half-lying earlier about that whole unaffected charm thing. “Come on, you owe me at least one fact about yourself.”
She pretends to contemplate me, swiping a finger through her melting cookie crunch and popping it into her mouth with, ironically, all the unintentional sensuality in the world. “Mmm, how about this: you impress me during our next tutoring session, and I spare some ammunition.”
“I’m already pretty impressive,” I brag.
“We need to work on your arrogance.”
“And we need to work on your transparency. You do want to make Leif sick with jealousy, don’t you?”
“Can’t you just kiss me whenever he’s looking? You know, keep things strictly physical?” she asks, not knowing the goddamn ramifications of what she just suggested.
Something ratchets in the lower half of me, surprisingly combative against the cold thatdoesn’tmake my balls shrink. I don’t need to be getting a boner during our late-night rendezvous.
Dear God, Knox. Think about anything else. Please.
“No man has that much control,” I croak without further elaboration.
Staten shoves me on the shoulder. A show of playfulness at best, yet a gesture that has me sweating in forty-five degrees. This girl has the nuclear launch codes to vaporize me completely, and she’s not afraid to use them. “Don’t need you falling for me, Mulligan.”
“Trust me, that’s never going to happen.”
Oh, I’msoscrewed.
11
A DIGITAL LOVE AFFAIR
Tuesday, March 17th, 3:33 p.m.
STATEN
Do you think this skirt is too short? *screenshot attached*
KNOX
Jesus fuck, Staten. You can’t text me stuff like that when I’m in class.
STATEN
Why?
KNOX
Because you’re distracting, and my ethics discussion is about to get a thousand times more awkward if I’m sporting a half-chub.
STATEN
